Summary
Overwatch 2’s ninth season is packed with new features, demonstrating Blizzard’s willingness to constantly transform and update its game. While someOverwatch 2Season 9 changesmassively alter core gameplay, others are focused on a smoother player experience. For example, the addition of UI elements above the player’s health bar that display all active healing status effects, as well as map reworks, ease pain points of the past.
With map reworks becoming more commonplace inOverwatch 2, it seems likely that Team 4 will continue updating locations in the hero-shooter in future patches and seasons. With Watchpoint Gibraltar receiving more flank routes and spawn rooms in Season 5 and Junkertown adding cover to its first point in Season 9, the sky is the limit. If the developers consider adjusting other maps, Numbani is an obvious choice.
Numbani Has Historically Been a Challenging Map in Overwatch
Numbani’s First Point Can Be Time-Consuming For Attackers
As a hybrid map, Numbani has become infamous for its difficulty for both the defending and attacking teams. WhileNumbani has been home to game-breaking bugsbefore, it’s typically the map’s overall design that gets called into question. For instance, the first point of Numbani often favors the defenders, since they can set up on the high ground and hold choke points without committing. As such, attackers are typically more successful if their tank is performing well, or their DPS can secure eliminations quickly.
Walking to the right up the stairs can be an ideal way to get to the high ground, but it’s not advisable if the enemy team has a spam hero like Junkrat who thrives in close-quartered spaces. Additionally, though this map has several other viable flank routes, coordinating to a specific location can be time-consuming without a character like Symmetra. Interestingly, the first segment ofNumbani is similar to Dorado, in that it often comes down to building ultimates to win the fight.
“The first point of Numbani often favors the defenders.”
Numbani’s Second Point Is Borderline 2CP For Defenders
Numbani’s various problems extend beyond the first point. While the second section offers attackers a far better chance, it can be frustrating for the defending team. Here, defenders respawn at the same location as the final objective, leading to a very lengthy walk back to the fight. This can feel particularly punishing for heroes without mobility options, such as Lucio, Tracer, or Soldier: 76. The journey back to the payload often feels akin to the slow and punishing experience of the old2CP (Assault) game modefrom the originalOverwatch, as if the defending team dies once or a few players are staggered, it often means that the second point is instantly lost.
Numbani’s Final Choke Point Is Extremely Difficult
Although some players initially celebratedNumbani’s absence fromOverwatch 2’s map pools, it has since made a comeback without any indication of being removed again. This is particularly concerning given the final section’s notorious difficulty. Even if the attacking team manages to steamroll through the first two areas, the last choke point gives the defending team a chance to stabilize. This often leads to overtime situations or a full stop to the capping of the payload.
In the coming seasons, it seems Blizzard needs to definitively address Numbani’s place in the game. As a site of various draws and first point holds, it could benefit from several adjustments. Hopefully, in the coming seasons,Overwatch 2will continue making map changes, and if it does then Numbani should be prioritized.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
